400th Anniversary of the First Thanksgiving

In honor of the 400th Anniversary of the FIRST THANKSGIVING in Plymouth, Massachusetts, I am reprinting the article I published last Thanksgiving in honor of the 400th Anniversary of the arrival of the Mayflower.  -JJ

At this special time of year—which is dedicated to giving thanks for all of our blessings—I have something extra special to be grateful for. This week's blog post is dedicated to the unique source of my THANKSGIVING in this unforgettable year of 2020.  

Largely lost in news cycles dominated by the COVID-19 Pandemic and the post-presidential election coverage in the United States was the recent passing of an unusually noteworthy and newsworthy event: 

The 400th Anniversary of the arrival of the Pilgrims on the Mayflower. 

I recently learned that I am a direct descendent of at least eight (8) passengers on that historic ship, four (4) of which signed the famous Mayflower Compact.

These ancestors include (Compact signers in BOLD): 

Signing of the Mayflower Compact

John Tilley (1571-1621) and Joan Hurst (1571-1621)  — my 11th Great-Grandparents

John Howland (1592-1672) and Elizabeth Tilley (1607-1687)  — my 10th GG

Edward Fuller (1575-1621) and Mrs. Edward Fuller (Ann) (1575-????)  — My 10th GG

Samuel Fuller (1608-1683) and Jane Lathrop (1614-1683) — My 9th GG

Click HERE to view the full list of those who signed the Mayflower Compact.

I am grateful for these noble ancestors of mine and am deeply inspired by the sacrifices they were willing to make to cross the great Atlantic at a time when doing so was difficult and dangerous. I admire their faith in God, their faith in themselves, and their faith in each other.

Moreover, I am inspired by the extent to which they were willing to work, strive, sacrifice, and risk everything for FREEDOM—religious and otherwise. As they look down upon me from Heaven above, I hope they are pleased with the way in which I have chosen to live my life and raise my family. I also hope that it brings them joy and satisfaction to see and know that their 9th, 10th, and 11th great grandson values freedom enough to also dedicate his life to its personal and professional expansion and perpetuation throughout the same Great Nation they helped to forge.  

Sailing to America in 1620 did not pose a simple solution to the problems the Pilgrims faced in England. Nor did an easy life await them upon their arrival on the cold, snowy, windswept shores of North America.

In fact, exactly HALF of them (51 out of 102 passengers) died either on the journey or not long after landing. This included two of my own ancestors (Edward and Ann Fuller), who passed away in early 1621, just a few short months after reaching Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts Bay on November 11, 1620. That means they were not fortunate enough to participate in the famous First Thanksgiving. 

John Howland, perhaps with the aid of Providence,
rescued himself from a watery grave in 1620,
much to the relief of hundreds of thousands
of his descendants, of which I am one!

My 10th Great Grandfather, John Howland—age 28 during the voyage—was famously washed overboard the Mayflower's deck during a terrible storm that struck during the Pilgrim's transatlantic crossing. Fortunately, he was able to miraculously grab hold of a rope attached to the ship and bravely pull himself to safety.

John Howland's story has been repeated hundreds of times in history books and other publications over the centuries, including (more recently) in an article in the Associated Press and a featured book by Irish artist and author, P.J. Lynch. 

Click HERE to read the Associated Press story about John Howland's watery adventure and rescue

Click HERE to see P.J. Lynch's book John Howland's watery adventure and rescue

I am not alone in this, my family heritage. In fact, approximately 10 million U.S. citizens (and 35 million people around the world) share similar ancestral lines. Possessing such a heritage does NOT, of course, make me existentially superior to anyone else. Indeed, whether you descend from Pilgrim immigrants, the Native Americans who so kindly assisted them after their arrival, or someone who came on the scene later on from any number of different foreign countries and circumstances, all citizens of the United States share something very similar and special.

What is that? 

The answer is: LIBERTY. We all possess liberty. And what is more, we all have the opportunity to work to expand our personal and professional FREEDOMS to whatever extent to which we are willing to pay the price.

Can there be any greater blessing than that?   

How much do you value and seek after FREEDOM?

I don't know about you, but I value and seek after it even more than I want TURKEY at THANKSGIVING, and that is saying a LOT, because I LOVE turkey... and every other delicious delight I plan to gobble up tomorrow afternoon!

Happy Turkey Day Everyone.

And REMEMBER: no matter how difficult or trying your present circumstances may be in the midst of this incredibly challenging year, I challenge YOU to serve up a helping of GRATITUDE that is as least as large as your slice of pumpkin pie.

If you do, I promise you will feel better afterward.

In fact, you might even feel as good as you will while eating that turkey and pumpkin pie. You will, at the very least, feel better than you will after eating all that turkey and pumpkin pie... that is, if you plan on eating as much Turkey and Pie as do I!

Boy do I LOVE THANKSGIVING!!!     #GiveThanks

-Dr. JJ

November 24, 2021

Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA

Author's Note: This is a republication of the 187th Blog Post Published by Freedom Focused LLC since November 2013.  It was originally published on November 25, 2020.  

Click HERE for a compete listing of all 240 FF Blog Articles.  

.........................

Tune in NEXT Wednesday for another article on a Self-Action Leadership related topic.  

And if you liked this blog post, please share it with your family, friends, colleagues, and students—and encourage them to sign up to receive future articles for FREE every Wednesday.

To sign up, please email freedomfocused@gmail.com and say SUBSCRIBE, or just YES, and we will ensure you receive a link to each new blog article every Wednesday.  

Click HERE to learn more about Freedom Focused

Click HERE to learn more about Dr. Jordan Jensen

Click HERE to buy the SAL Textbooks

A Pre-Thanksgiving Reminder to Give...

My little boy, Tyler, and his preschool Thanksgiving creation.
How grateful I am for Ty guy and all the time I get to spend with him!

This blog is a special Pre-Thanksgiving reminder to GIVE...

Give what, you ask?  

First, it is a reminder to give THANKS.

Even in the best of circumstances, life can still be incredibly challenging—for everyone. In the midst of so many varied trials that we experience as human beings, it is not always easy to be grateful. When things are especially difficult, it may take a conscious act of sheer willpower to shift your focus away from your problems and toward your blessings. 

But for self-action leaders, it is always worth the effort! 

Those who persist in focusing on their blessings instead of their troubles discover that their troubles don't seem as bad as they previously thought. 

Moreover, since the human brain can only think about one thing at a time, filling one's mind with positivity is a powerful antidote to eliminating negativity. In so doing, I am not suggesting that you ignore your problems or pretend they don't exist. I am merely inviting you to consciously remember to devote a healthy amount of time to dwelling on what is good in your life—and what could yet be—rather than constantly drowning in a sea of worry about what hasn't gone right, or what isn't working out (yet) in your life.

Despite the tremendous challenges I have faced in my life with my MENTAL HEALTH, RELATIONSHIPS, and CAREER, it never ceases to amaze me how often I have been blessed and how varied my blessings have been all along the way. After all, the vast majority of my mental issues are now behind me, my romantic woes are way, way behind me (thank you, Lina!), and while my career remains stalled in some senses, am I not—in the very moment of writing this article—living my dream career right now?  

The answer to this question is a resounding YES! 

          And I am so grateful for it. 

It never ceases to amaze me how many and varied my blessings are
—even, and perhaps especially at the most difficult times in my life. At this Thanksgiving season, I invite you to give THANKS a little more than you have in the past. Dig deep to fill your mind with all the macro and micro fortunes that have flooded into your life over the years. Then express your gratitude to anyone and everyone you come across that played a role in bringing those blessings your way.  

SECOND, this article is a reminder to GIVE something tangible to someone else in need. Chances are good that most (if not all) of my readers will be sitting down to a bounteous feast next Thursday. Before you dine on that sumptuous Thanksgiving banquet, I invite you to do something that requires some action and effort on your part that will, in some small way, enable someone else to have a nicer, fuller, and more bounteous holiday themselves. It won't take much effort on your part to accomplish this task, but it will require you to consciously and proactively take an action that you might not otherwise take.

Most people are decent folks with good intentions. Unfortunately, it is a much smaller percentage of people who routinely take action on those good intentions. I invite you this Thanksgiving to count yourself among this smaller percentage of DOERS. I'm not asking you to do something overly difficult, creative, or time-consuming. I'm merely inviting you to do something above and beyond what you would have done had you not read this article today.  

For example, in the process of living my own routine schedule, I learned about two food drives that were taking place at my son's preschool and a local doctor's office. 

Now I want to be honest about something....

When I first heard about these food drives, my mind began making excuses why it really wouldn't make much of a difference if I just let other people contribute. After all, I already give money to my Church to help the poor. I have also personally provided food, water, and/or clothing to individual homeless persons on many occasions in many locations throughout my life.

But then I remembered something about self-action leaders: they don't make excuses and they don't wait for other people to jump in and help when they are entirely fit, capable, and available to help themselves. They also don't content themselves on what they did yesterday, yestermonth, or yesteryear. They continually concern themselves about and are focused on TODAY. 

"What am I doing TODAY to make the world a better place?" That's the daily question that self-action leaders are always asking themselves. 

Shopping with Tyler for two food drives
in my community

Suffice it to say, that little self-reminder put an end to my excuse-making. A few days later, my little son (Tyler) and I went to the grocery store and bought a cart full of groceries to split between the two food drives. 

It felt very good!  

Isn't that amazing? I went to work to do something that I initially didn't want to do to help somebody else, and I am the one who ends up feeling great. What a deal!  

So... 

          What are you waiting for? 

Sometime in the next six days, make an extra effort to help somebody else by going out of your way to serve, lift, love, encourage, etc.  I promise you that if you will accept this simple challenge, this Thanksgiving will be one of the best you've ever had, and you'll enjoy your own fabulous feast even more.  

HAPPY THANKSGIVING everyone!

-Dr. JJ

November 18, 2021

Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA

Author's Note: This is the 240th Blog Post Published by Freedom Focused LLC since November 2013. 

Click HERE for a compete listing of the other 239 FF Blog Articles.  

.........................

Tune in NEXT Wednesday for another article on a Self-Action Leadership related topic.  

And if you liked this blog post, please share it with your family, friends, colleagues, and students—and encourage them to sign up to receive future articles for FREE every Wednesday.

To sign up, please email freedomfocused@gmail.com and say SUBSCRIBE, or just YES, and we will ensure you receive a link to each new blog article every Wednesday.  

Click HERE to learn more about Freedom Focused

Click HERE to learn more about Dr. Jordan Jensen

Click HERE to buy the SAL Textbooks

Dr. JJ's Rule #7: Accentuate the Positive & Eliminate the Negative*

In a previous article, Dr. JJ's 13 Rules for Living were shared.

Click HERE to access JJ's 13 Rules.

This week's blog post addresses Dr. JJ's RULE #7, which states:

A Freedom Focused Knight imbued by SAL. 

Be wise as a scholar, but avoid sophistry and selfishness. Be strong and brave as an elite warrior, but do not profane or be vicious. Be clever as a fox and shrewd as a Hollywood actor or corporate lawyer, but never engage in deceit or manipulation. Be as skilled and precise as a world-class surgeon, but eschew ego. Be eloquent as a polished politician, but let my words ever speak the Truth in the sincere service of all human beings. Be ambitious and successful like the famous, but flee hedonism, concupiscence, and substance abuse. Fight, endure, and win like a world-champion athlete, but never mistakenly view myself a demigod. Use my God-given talents like a proactive and productive genius, but never dismiss, nor forget, the Source from whence they sprang. 

Abraham Lincoln
(1809-1865)
One of many HEROES I have striven
to pattern my life after. 

Throughout my life, I have spent a great deal of time carefully observing other people. Such observations are rarely random or arbitrary. Rather, I specifically and intentionally observe the kinds of people I respect, admire, and want to be like. Doing so is one of the best ways to become all you are capable of becoming.  

Sometimes I observe and study living leaders and others I have the opportunity to see in action in real time. And sometimes I observe and study the lives and legacies of deceased persons I have learned about in history books, biopics, and documentaries.  

This is one of the most important and beneficial SAL exercises in which I have consciously engaged myself over the years. Inestimable value exists in the high-quality activity of conscious emulation. After all, do not all of us "tend to turn into the thing [we] are pretending to be"?**

An important part of Self-Action Leadership is discovering your TRUE VOICE. As such, a self-action leader's ultimate goal is not merely to imitate someone else. The main objective is to become your own, unique, best self. However, the process of observing and learning from others is an integral part of figuring out who you really are, and otherwise becoming your own best self over time.  

Along the circuitous pathways of my own difficult SAL journey, I have taken especial interest in those who are the very best in their fields. From Socrates and Aristotle in philosophical antiquity to George Washington and Abraham Lincoln in American history; From Winston Churchill and Martin Luther King Jr. in oratory to Michael Jordan and Roger Federer in professional athletics and Tom Cruise and Daniel Day-Lewis in the cinema (and countless others), I always make an effort to learn from the very best through observation, study, and emulation.  

And...

   

     So...

          Should...

               YOU!

There is perhaps no better educational tool than closely and diligently observing other people. And the best part about it is that the tuition for such education is FREE!  

Wise self-action leaders figure out who they are and what they want to become in part by watching others in action. Once they find someone they respect and admire, they begin to observe more carefully and study more closely as a preface to emulation. They then keep at it until they themselves become what they most want to be. 

This is precisely what I have done in my life and career, and in conjunction with a LOT of reading, study, and practice, it has worked wonders!  

Hyrum W. Smith
1943-2019
Co-Founder of FranklinCovey Company

To illustrate specifically how this has worked in my life and career, consider the following example...

I attended my first professional seminar—a FranklinCovey Company time management seminar—in 1987 or '88 when I was only seven or eight years old. 

Watching my Uncle, Hyrum W. Smith—a gifted presenter—ply his trade fascinated me and planted an important seed in my young mind and heart. Since that time, I have watched countless presenters speak and teach. Moreover, I have also spent over 4,000 hours presenting professionally myself. The results of that kind of diligence, passion, time commitment, and focused emulation have been GOLDEN and turned me into the polished, professional presenter I am today. And you can bet that I'll be even better 5, 10, 15, 20, or 30 years from now than I am today.     

Thus, the journey of education, observance, and emulation continues... and will do so forever into my future. 

Along the way, it is vital to not only notice and focus on the positive aspects of a person's character, career, and life, but to carefully observe a person's errors, follies, and sins as well.  

One of the saddest yet surprisingly common things I have observed about those I have admired most is that said persons sometimes have a dark side that contrasts with their brilliance and/or virtue. In other words, their closets are sometimes filled with skeletons which invariably get discovered over time. 

The truth is that no one is perfect. I'm certainly not. All of us have things in our past that we'd prefer not to have broadcast on a BIG SCREEN for everyone to see. Sadly, and sometimes necessarily, a persons sins end up being televised for everyone to view. For better or for worse, such occurrences provide self-action leaders with a variety of CAUTIONARY TALES that, if they are wise, they will learn from in order to avoid making similar errors in their own lives and careers.  

Sadly, some of my biggest heroes have fallen from grace after rising to great heights. And while I personally believe that grace is always available to all of us—no matter what we may have said or done—the reality is that consequences for bad behavior always materialize eventually. Moreover, this world can be very unforgiving—and it never seems to forget. Said consequences may not always come right away, but it has been my observation that they do always come, eventually.

This fact scares the hello-dolly out of me as a self-action leader. It also humbles me to the dust because I realize that I am just human like all of my heroes. As such, I am privy to temptation and vulnerable to fall from grace as they too-often have. Nevertheless, I believe I can increase my potential to imitate their virtues while avoiding their foolish missteps through continual observation, study, focus, discipline, determination, and selective emulation. 

Avoiding such missteps is one of the Primary quests of my life and career.   

Rule #7 is designed to keep me continually watchful in an effort to reproduce the positive and eliminate the negative in my own life and career. It is a constant reminder to remain laser focused and duly determined to do whatever it takes to reach my potential and avoid preventable follies along the way.  

In an effort to maximize successes and minimize preventable failures, Freedom Focused has developed the concept of a "SAL Advisory Board," or a SALAB for short. 

Several of my SALAB members were influential leaders from the past.

A SALAB is a group (list) of individuals (living or deceased) that you respect, admire, and wish to emulate in your own life and career. It is not a literal board that you meet up with in person; after all, it would be tough to get Abraham Lincoln to attend my meetings. Rather, it is a group of individuals you meet with in your imagination to derive strength, courage, insight, guidance, and inspiration. It is a collection of people with whom you would IDEALLY like to associate with on a personal and/or professional basis were it possible to consult with whomever you chose whenever you liked. 

Your imagination is, of course, a source of endless creativity, inspiration, and power if you are willing to more fully tap into it. By creating a SALAB of different people you would like to learn from and emulate in your own life and career, you can put to use the enormous power inherent in positive mental imagery. This exercise has been very powerful in my life.  I encourage YOU to begin putting it to use in yours as well.  

As you compile your SALAB, include each person's name in conjunction with WHY you included him or her on your list. Then, rank your list in priority to further clarify who you admire most and why. To illustrate how this works, I list Abraham Lincoln as #13 on my SALAB. Next to his name, I note that I include him for his "leadership, resoluteness, patience, and compassion."

My SALAB currently has thirty-three (33) members. Yours does not need to have that many—unless you want it to. I would suggest starting off with five (5) or ten (10) members and then growing from there as you desire and see fit.

My SALAB is personal, so I usually do not publish it openly for others to see. However, for the sake of ideation in your own efforts, some other members of my SALAB include deceased ancestors, additional historical figures (like Lincoln), and living persons from a variety of different fields whom I greatly respect, admire, and seek to become more like. Such persons do not need to be personal associates of yours. You can select individuals you do not personally know, but that you have come to admire from a distance for the goodness, achievements, and contributions of their lives. 

For more information on creating your own, personal SALAB, see the Self-Action Leadership textbook, Volume II, pages 84-86. 

Click HERE to buy the SAL Textbook, Volume II. 

NOTE: This article is the 9th in a series of 22 articles on the subject of LIFE RULES.

Click HERE to access quick links to the other 21 articles.   

-Dr. JJ

November 17, 2021

Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA

Author's Note: This is the 239th Blog Post Published by Freedom Focused LLC since November 2013. 

Click HERE for a compete listing of the other 238 FF Blog Articles.  

.........................

Tune in NEXT Wednesday for another article on a Self-Action Leadership related topic.  

And if you liked this blog post, please share it with your family, friends, colleagues, and students—and encourage them to sign up to receive future articles for FREE every Wednesday.

To sign up, please email freedomfocused@gmail.com and say SUBSCRIBE, or just YES, and we will ensure you receive a link to each new blog article every Wednesday.  

Click HERE to learn more about Freedom Focused

Click HERE to learn more about Dr. Jordan Jensen

Click HERE to buy the SAL Textbooks

Notes:

*  Lyrics from a song by the same title written by Johnny Mercer and Harold Arlen.

**  Lewis, C.S. 1995. The Screwtape Letters. New York, NY: Bantam. Page 29. 

An Educational Message Everyone Can Embrace

Jordan R. Jensen, Ed.D.
Founder and CEO of Freedom Focused

Lately, disagreements and heated arguments over educational content and processes have been front-and-center in the news in the United States. Said disputes have even played a significant role in the outcome of recent political elections.

Dr. Jordan Jensen—a Doctor of Education—founded Freedom Focused in 2005 with a single-minded focus and objective: To provide a positive, productive, and unifying non-partisan educational message and framework to students of all ages.

The goal of SELF-ACTION LEADERSHIP is very basic and fundamental: to empower students everywhere to become their best selves in order to excel in academic, career, and personal pursuits.

At Freedom Focused, we believe that everyone deserves the right to learn and practice how to become the best person they can possibly become—no matter who they are, what they look like, or where they came from.

That is what "Equality of Opportunity" is all about.    

For students to RISE to the summits of their existential potential and maximize their career competitiveness on the global stage, they must be taught how to think creatively, critically, and independently. 

They must also be instructed in vital life leadership topics such as communication, problem solving skills, and emotional intelligence. 

Lastly, they must be disciplined, diligent, determined, and resilient human beings capable of dealing with disappointment, temporary failure, and a variety of other career and life setbacks. In short, they must be prepared to endure whatever life may throw at them to ensure their success in spite of whatever adversity they may face along the way.

That is what Freedom Focused teaches, models, and strives to exemplify. SELF-ACTION LEADERSHIP is all about Personal Leadership training, Character development, and the perpetual acquisition of key Life Skills. Everything we teach and promote is focused on these CORE TOPICS.

• PERSONAL  LEADERSHIP
• CHARACTER
• LIFE  SKILLS  

Our nation and world is in desperate need of academic theories that UNIFY rather than divide. Some theories being promoted in schools today are creating anger and division in communities around the country. Freedom Focused does not take sides in said debates, nor do we comment on politically charged pedagogical material or other culturally controversial matters.

The Self-Action Leadership Theory

We do, however, affirm the absolute existential equality of all races, ethnicities, and cultures. And by "Existential Equality," we are not referring to historical events and narratives, present circumstances and socioeconomic statuses, or equality of outcomes, but rather to "Equality of Opportunity" and each human being's innate potential for pursuing and obtaining self-improvement and personal growth within a unique framework of each individual's singular existential makeup. 

In pursuit of this universally desirable and attainable character movement, we further offer our own THEORY and MODEL—the Self-Action Leadership (SAL) Theory and Model—to administrators, teachers, coaches, parents, and students everywhere who seek personal progress, self-improvement, and existential growth.

The Self-Action Leadership Model

The SAL Theory gives students a vision of their own limitless potential by taking them on a journey through nine (9) different stages of personal leadership growth and progress.

The SAL Model equips students with the practical tools of ACTION needed to succeed. It does so by outlining the principles and practices required to travel to the highest levels outlined in the SAL Theory. 

The combined foci and goal of both frameworks is simple even if it is not always easy. Straight forward and unapologetic in our approach, our aim is HUMAN BETTERNESS—today, tomorrow, and forever.  

Self-Action Leadership has been diligently researched and conscientiously constructed over the course of the past two decades. It is a product of the doctoral work of Dr. Jensen in conjunction with numerous personal and educational action research projects Dr. JJ has conducted over the course of three decades.

The SAL Theory & Model provides educators and students everywhere with a universal framework of personal leadership education and character development that we believe all people may readily embrace. This is possible because it steers clear of controversial subjects such as politics, religion, and culture wars.

In other words, Freedom Focused has no political agenda. Its only aim is the growth and development of all human beings throughout the United States and world.

And we know from personal experience that the key to expanding one's personal and professional freedom lies in study, work, self-discipline, self-reliance, and personal leadership and management; and that is precisely what we teach, model, and strive to exemplify—today, tomorrow, and forever.     

The Self-Action Leadership Theory textbook

So... how exactly does SAL work?

In THREE (3) simple and highly doable, albeit not necessarily easy steps...  

STEP 1. Sign up for our FREE blog to read and study weekly articles on Self-Action Leadership, which are newly published every Wednesday morning. 

STEP 2. Buy the SAL textbooks and then carefully read, study, and re-read them to LEARN, APPLY, and TEACH as much as you (and your students) can about personal leadership and character development.

The SAL textbooks serve as a comprehensive GUIDE FOR LIFE. They are designed to be read and studied over-and-over again on a regular basis over long periods of time (til the end of one's life) to maximize the material's efficacy, since, "Repetition is the key to Reception."    

STEP 3. Complete the SAL Master Challenge to receive your SAL diploma* (certificate), medal, and inclusion on the SAL Wall of Fame.   

That's it!  

Leaders, educators, coaches, mentors, and parents everywhere... what are you waiting for? The time to begin offering this cutting-edge, life-changing material to your students was yesterday. Don't procrastinate this golden opportunity any longer.    

Click HERE to buy the SAL Theory textbook.

Click HERE to buy the SAL Model textbook.  

For more information, or to sign up for our FREE blog, please email Dr. Jensen at: jordan.jensen@freedomfocused.com

-Dr. JJ

November 10, 2021

Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA

Author's Note: This is the 238th Blog Post Published by Freedom Focused LLC since November 2013. 

Click HERE for a compete listing of the other 237 FF Blog Articles.  

.........................

Tune in NEXT Wednesday for another article on a Self-Action Leadership related topic.  

And if you liked this blog post, please share it with your family, friends, colleagues, and students—and encourage them to sign up to receive future articles for FREE every Wednesday.

To sign up, please email freedomfocused@gmail.com and say SUBSCRIBE, or just YES, and we will ensure you receive a link to each new blog article every Wednesday.  

Click HERE to learn more about Freedom Focused

Click HERE to learn more about Dr. Jordan Jensen

Click HERE to buy the SAL Textbooks

Notes:

* SAL Master Challenge diploma is not academically accredited.

Dr. JJ's Rule #6: Find Your True Voice and Help Others Find Theirs

In a previous article, Dr. JJ's 13 Rules for Living were shared.

Click HERE to access JJ's 13 Rules.

Have you found your TRUE VOICE in life? 
If so, are you singing out with all your heart
and then helping others to do the same?

This week's blog post addresses Dr. JJ's RULE #6, which states:

Find my true voice (discover who I really am) as soon as I can, develop that voice with all my heart, and then sing out shamelessly to the best of my ability and opportunities in a way that inspires and empowers others to do the same.

Our world—Planet Earth—is filled with wondrous diversity. 

And when I say "Diversity," I'm not talking so much about race, ethnicity, religion, or any of the more common demographic categories that come to mind when the "D" word is employed, although that is certainly also true.

We too often think of diversity solely in terms of physical
traits and other readily visible variables.
But it is so much more than that! 

Rather, I'm talking about the remarkable variation that exists in different human beings when it comes to personality, aptitude, interests, desires, passions, perspectives, intelligence, creativity, and skills.

For instance, you could have a roomful of people all of whom are the same race, ethnicity, religion, and even socioeconomic standing, yet still boasts a cornucopia of diversity the likes-of-which often gets overlooked in what may initially appear to be a completely homogenous environment. Unfortunately, human beings sometimes view diversity as being only "skin-deep" when, in fact, it goes much, much deeper and is far richer than just that.

To illustrate, consider my own family (my own and my wife's), which consists of a group of individuals who, with very few exceptions, are all the same race, religion, background, gene pool, and general socioeconomic status. Yet what a diverse group we still manage to make! We don't all think alike, we don't all vote alike, and we have vastly different aptitudes, interests, hobbies, personalities, dispositions, and opinions. Sometimes we even disagree with each other vehemently.      

This phenomenon of core-deep diversity among human beings is one of the single-most magnificent and magical elements of the human race.

Diversity properly harnessed leads to endless
SYNERGY and productivity in an organization.

Why?

Because core-deep diversity properly channeled is what has fueled the SYNERGY that has created the remarkable modern world we live in today with all of its wonders, creations, developments, advancements, and veritable miracles of science, medicine, and technology.

In a sea of such extraordinary diversity, it is important that YOU do the work required to discover your own TRUE VOICE as a self-action leader in your life and career. Doing so is the only way to maximize your own, unique contributions to our planet and its inhabitants. 

It took me a LONG time to find my TRUE VOICE in life as a husband, father, writer, speaker, leader, teacher, historian, philosopher, and poet. 

My first career ambition in life was to
become a trash collector. 

As a young, ragamuffin pup of the early 1980s—dressed in hand-me-down clothing from the 1970s—I would often sit on my porch awaiting the "Garbage Man" to come and haul away our trash in my hometown in rural Southeastern Utah.

I'm not kidding... I was so fascinated by garbage trucks and how they worked that I would literally sit and wait for the truck to arrive each week. This fascination spawned my life's first avocational ambition.

There is, of course, nothing wrong with being a trash collector if that is what you really want to do; nor is there anything wrong with using such a job as a bridge to other opportunities along your career path.

After all, I spent most of my growing up years (and even some of my adult years) employed in an array of obscure, low-paying, and physically demanding manual labor-oriented jobs. From mowing lawns and laying pipe to digging post holes and building fence; and from hauling wheat and plowing fields to painting, shoveling, sawing, pounding, and a hundred other related tasks, I have spent a great deal of time in my life toiling away sweat-drenched "in the trenches" of life—sometimes literally (as in the case of laying 12-inch pipe out in the deserts of the Southwest).

Having lived in Utah, Washington, Alberta, and
Newfoundland, I've also shoveled my share of snow in life!
Is it any wonder that I now live in South Florida?

Such jobs were incredibly valuable because they taught me how to work hard and endure heat, fatigue, pain, and other physical and mental hardships. In short, they did wonders in helping me prepare for the difficulties and realities of adulthood and life in general. 

As much as these jobs did for my health, welfare, and character, they were nonetheless far removed from the kind of career I wanted to pursue.

I wanted to be a white collar professional, not a blue collar professional; not because there is anything wrong with blue collar professions; indeed, our society runs on—nay, that is too weak; our society DEPENDS UPON—the work that blue collar professionals complete day-in-and-day-out. Take away truckers, plumbers, mechanics, farmers, builders, and other service workers and it only takes about three days for our entire way of life to shut down—a phenomenon we have all experienced vestiges of during the COVID-19 pandemic and accompanying supply chain crisis. 

You don't have to enroll in a college class to get a good education.

To further underscore the importance and value of blue collar careers, Freedom Focused openly questions the notion that everybody should pursue a college degree after high school. The fact is that some people should definitely pursue collegiate degrees and their related professions. Other people, however, have neither the desire nor the inclination or aptitude for collegiate-level academic pursuits—at least not formally speaking—and that is okay! After all, there are so many different ways to become highly educated. The idea that one has to attend formal collegiate classes to read, study, and continually learn at higher and higher levels is one of the great fallacies and misnomers of our modern society.

For example, while I personally have an accredited doctoral degree, I can say with confidence that I have gained even greater knowledge and wisdom from my personal, proactive studies outside of formal classrooms as I have inside their sometimes restrictive walls.

"I have never let schooling get in the way of my education."

— Mark Twain

Moreover, there are soooooo many different ways to be SMART. To define IQ within the narrow parameters of academe is to truly miss the forest for the trees. The reality is that some of the smartest and most skilled and talented people on the planet do not have college degrees. To think that academic grades, test scores, and certifications are the only way to measure intelligence is woefully nearsighted and arrogantly naïve, as Harvard's Howard Gardner's work on the theory of multiple intelligences so lucidly illustrates. 

Click HERE to buy Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences. 

As a doctoral-level, white-collar professional, I am continually amazed at the knowledge, aptitudes, and skill-sets of a whole host of people who work in blue collar careers. While they may never be able to compete with my academic resume, I likewise could never compete with their technical acumen and niche skill-sets. 

Such differences too often create unfair and unnecessary comparisons in our ego-driven world. But when viewed holistically, a variety of different careers from both the white and blue collar world serves as a reflection of the remarkable intellectual diversity that so richly imbues our planet.

I discovered at age seven (7)
that I liked to read & study.

After passing through a variety of different blue collar vocational phases as a young boy (e.g. plumber, cement worker, carpenter), my family's move from Monticello, Utah to Mesa, Arizona shortly after my seventh birthday signaled a period of transition for me whereby I began to take interest in different, white collar professions, such as: newscaster, lawyer, politician, and professor.

And as many young boys often do, I also went through an extended phase where I wanted to play professional basketball in the NBA. 

As a junior in high school, I took a computerized "career assessment" to better gauge where my future career pathway might lie. It was only marginally helpful, and quite honestly, did not provide much clarity about my future. As it happened, I would find myself well into my undergraduate college education before I would begin discovering my TRUE VOICE and future career path. 

But varied life experiences provided me with many clues along the way. 

My first two years of college were focused more on theatre and drama. I took four different courses for actors, played a minor role in a collegiate production of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, and even considered declaring a major in theatre and drama. 

It took many years, but eventually I discovered
my TRUE VOICE as a writer and speaker.

But along the way, I discovered an aptitude and flair for written composition. For example, I got my first white collar job in high school as a news writer and photographer for a local weekly. Getting paid for writing was one of the COOLEST things I had ever experienced. I also spent a lot of time composing in personal journals and other writing projects in school and on my own. 

In the end, it became clear to me that English would be a better fit for me than theatre and drama, and certainly more practical as well. Not that I have ever been afraid to take risks—that's always been one of my greatest strengths—but I ultimately came to the conclusion that I would be more happy and successful as a writer than I would as an actor; and I have never second-guessed that decision, even though my aptitude and training in theatre and drama has undoubtedly helped me as a speaker, teacher, and leader.

By the time I was 24 years old, I was pretty clear on what my TRUE VOICE was. But that did not mean I had found my perfect job position yet. In fact,18 years later—and a variety of jobs and entrepreneurial ventures later—I am still struggling to get off the ground as a successful business builder, writer, and speaker. Nevertheless, it has been my experience that as long as I do my very best to move in the direction of my TRUE VOICE, life has a way of taking care of the rest.

Thus, the journey continues...

Once you have discovered your own TRUE VOICE, it is natural to desire to help others to find their voices as well. One of the COOL things about my job as an entrepreneur, writer, and teacher is that just about everything I do involves helping others to find their TRUE VOICE. I accomplish this by sharing my own personal journey and experiences in conjunction with teaching certain general (and true) principles I have learned along the way that I know will help others—just as they have benefitted me.

Fortunately, you do not have to have a job like mine in order to help others to find their TRUE VOICE. You can accomplish that by simply doing your best to sing our shamelessly with your own TRUE VOICE in your life and career and then seek out ways you can lift, help, encourage, and be an advocate for others who are in the process of finding their own way in life.

We can all benefit from having mentors.  I certainly have! 

Some other things you can do to help yourself (and others) find your/their TRUE VOICE include:

1. Observe yourself and others in action and then be a cheerleader for yourself and others by providing compliments and encouragement to pursue activities in which you/they excel. 

2. Try lots of different activities to better gauge where your greatest interests lie—and encourage others to do the same.

3. Don't be afraid of failure. It is part of the process! Always remember that the only real failure is to give up on yourself or unnecessarily, lazily, or prematurely quit a worthy pursuit. 

4. Once you have found something you are good at and enjoy, then observe, study, and practice—and encourage others to do the same. 

5. Seek out teachers, coaches, and mentors to help guide you along the way—and encourage others to do the same.  

6. Never give up trying—and encourage others to do the same!

By applying the right doses of vision, focus, hard work, determination, persistence, and patience, I promise YOU can eventually discover your own TRUE VOICE in your life and career. You will then be empowered to help others do the same.  

For more information on finding your own voice and helping others to do the same, Freedom Focused encourages the reading of Dr. Stephen R. Covey's book, The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness.

This inspiring sequel to The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change, is divided into two sections. Section One is entitled: Find Your Voice. Section Two is entitled: Inspire Others to Find Their Voice. This book is a must read for any serious leader, manager, or self-action leader.  

Click HERE to buy a copy of The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness by Stephen R. Covey.          

 

NOTE: This article is the 8th in a series of 22 articles on the subject of LIFE RULES.

Click HERE to access quick links to the other 21 articles.   

-Dr. JJ

November 3, 2021

Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA

Author's Note: This is the 237th Blog Post Published by Freedom Focused LLC since November 2013. 

Click HERE for a compete listing of the other 236 FF Blog Articles.  

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Tune in NEXT Wednesday for another article on a Self-Action Leadership related topic.  

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